Rajsamand, June 6: In a remarkable act of protest, a young man in Rajasthan has taken an unusual approach to demand his brother’s unpaid wages from the local panchayat. Prakash Prajapat shaved his head while staging a sit-in outside the panchayat office in Baman Tukda village, drawing significant local attention.
Prakash claims that his brother, Ratanlal Prajapat, has been working as a peon for the panchayat for the past 15 years. However, he has not received any salary for the last six years. With a monthly wage of 2,000 rupees, the total amount owed has reached approximately 156,000 rupees. The family has lodged multiple complaints with the panchayat, district council, and even the Chief Minister‘s portal, but to no avail. Frustrated by the lack of resolution, Prakash decided to take this drastic step.
In an interview with reporters, Ratanlal expressed his plight, stating, “I have been working as a peon for 15 years. I have not received my salary for 6.5 years, totaling 156,000 rupees owed to me. Initially, they claimed that no work was done here, but later they acknowledged it. Now they say they will pay the full amount in 2-3 days.”
Laharlal Dave, the administrator of Baman Tukda panchayat, offered a different perspective on the issue. He stated, “Ratanlal only came to the panchayat for about 2.5 to 3 years. After that, he stopped coming and did not perform any work. We are willing to pay for the initial 2.5-3 years of service. We are being unnecessarily harassed.”
The administrator also alleged that the young man is demanding payment beyond the agreed amount, noting that the panchayat had previously deposited 30,000 rupees into Ratanlal’s account.
Prakash Prajapat reiterated his brother’s struggle, saying, “My brother has been a peon for the last six years. We have complained numerous times to the sarpanch and the secretary, but the unpaid wages remain unresolved. By shaving my head, we have registered our protest.”
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